September 29, 2022
by Kirbie
Jump to Recipe
This yogurt cake is incredibly light, fluffy and soft. It is just 3 ingredients and doesn’t require any flour, butter or oil. It’s a perfect dessert when you want to make a unique cake for family or friends.
I’m excited with how this yogurt cake came out. The texture and appearance are very much like Japanese cotton cheesecake. However, the cake is made with yogurt instead of cream cheese. The cake is so soft and light.
Ingredients
- Eggs
- Whole Milk Plain Greek Yogurt
- Sweetened Condensed Milk
Eggs: Eggs are the key to the structure and texture of this cake. Eggs are separated and the egg whites are whipped to stiff peaks and folded in. This is what allows the cake to be so light and fluffy.
Greek Yogurt: For this recipe you do need to use Greek-strained yogurt. Regular yogurt is too runny. Try to use a brand of Greek yogurt that is very thick. I’ve come across some that are very runny and almost the same as regular yogurt. I have only tested this with whole milk Greek yogurt. I don’t think it will work with low fat or fat free.
Condensed milk: Make sure to use full fat sweetened condensed milk.
Fluffy Yogurt Cake Texture
If you’ve ever had Japanese cheesecake, the texture of this cake is very similar to that. It’s a cross between a souffle and a sponge cake. It’s very light, airy, and soft. I actually have a 3 Ingredient Japanese cheesecake recipe as well.
How to Make Yogurt Cake
- In a large bowl, combine egg yolks, condensed milk and yogurt. Whisk until you have a smooth mixture.
- Then, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks. This can be done with a hand mixer or stand mixer, but I prefer stand mixer.
- Gently fold the egg whites into the batter in three batches. The batter is then poured into your prepared cake pan.
- The cake needs to be baked in a water bath. This simply means you need to put the cake pan in a bigger pan and fill the outer pan with water.
Tips
- Make sure to use a regular one-piece round cake pan. Do not use a springform pan or a round cake pan with a removable bottom. This cake bakes in a waterbath and cake pans with removable bottoms can cause leaking and overcooking. Some people suggest simply wrapping the bottom of a springform pan in foil so that water from the waterbath doesn’t get inside, but even though water doesn’t leak in, the bottom layer of the cake still is affected by the boiling water and ends up cooking too much, creating a dense bottom layer.
- To make it easier to remove the cake from the cake pan, you will want to make some parchment paper handles like the ones shown below. To do this, first grease the inside of your cake pan. Then place in two strips of parchment paper that run across the cake pan from one side to the other with some overhang. The two strips should cross and form an “X’ at the bottom of the pan. Then line the bottom and sides of the cake pan with parchment paper as you would normally do.
- Please refrigerate the cake after is done cooling. Just leaving it out for a few hours at room temperature is not enough. Letting the cake refrigerate will allow the flavors of the cake to develop. If you don’t refrigerate the cake, it tastes like a moist souffle that isn’t very sweet and doesn’t have much flavor. However, after you refrigerate it, the cake is much sweeter, you taste the tanginess from the yogurt and the overall texture of the cake is better also (it is very moist when it is first baked but some of that moisture evaporates when you refrigerate it).
More Unique Cake Recipes to Try
- 2 Ingredient Honey Cloud Cake
- 4 Ingredient Magic Cake
- 2 Ingredient Cheesecake
- 4 Ingredient Lemon Cheesecake
3 Ingredient Fluffy Yogurt Cake
Servings: 10 slices
Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour hour 50 minutes minutes
Total Time: 2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, Japanese
An incredibly light, fluffy and soft yogurt cake that is just 3 ingredients. This cake doesn't require flour, butter or oil!
4.82 from 11 votes
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Ingredients
- 4 large eggs, separated straight from fridge
- 1 cup (227 g) whole milk plain greek strained yogurt
- 3/4 cup (177ml/238g) full fat sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray the inside of an 7 inch round cake pan with a cooking oil spray. Line with parchment paper. You will want to create handles along with lining the bottom and sides so that you can remove the cake easily after it is done. See notes for how to line the cake pan properly.
Separate egg yolks and whites. Place eggs whites into fridge until ready to use.
Add egg yolks, yogurt and condensed milk to a large mixing bowl. When measuring out the yogurt, be careful to remove any excess liquid (yogurt often has some liquid/water in the container, you don't want any of that in your mixture). Whisk until ingredients are fully incorporated and you have a smooth batter.
Remove egg whites from fridge. Place into a separate large mixing bowl. Beat at highest speed until stiff peaks form. I prefer to use a stand mixer but you can also use a hand mixer.
Add one third of the egg white mixture to your egg yolk batter. Fold it in gently with a spatula until no egg white lumps remain. Because this batter is very liquidy, make sure you scoop up batter from the very bottom of the bowl each time you fold to make sure all of the batter gets incorporated with the egg whites. Repeat with the next 1/3 and then remaining 1/3. Your batter should look very light and airy.
Pour batter into prepared baking pan. The cake will be baked in a water bath. To do this, place your cake pan into a larger baking pan that is at least 2 inches deep. I used a 9 x 9 inch baking pan. Place your cake pan into the bigger pan. Pour just enough water (cold tap water) into the outer pan so that the water level reaches 1/2 inch. Make sure to add the water to the outer pan after you've put the cake in. If you add 1/2 inch of water before, the added weight of the cake pan and cake batter will push up your water level more than 1/2 inch which can cause the bottom of the cake to cook too fast, which will create a dense bottom. I recommend using a ruler to measure the water level.
Place cake with water bath into your oven. Bake for 40 minutes. Then reduce the baking temperature to 325°F (163°C) and bake for about 10 more minutes. The cake should have risen and the surface should be dark brown. Turn off the oven but do not open the oven door and leave the cake in the oven for one hour. It is important to leave the cake in the oven (unopened) because this allows the cake to finish cooking and the gradual drop in temperature prevents the cake from suddenly collapsing. The cake will shrink down, but it shouldn't completely collapse. After one hour, you can remove the cake from the oven. Use the cake handles to lift the cake from the pan and transfer to a plate. Let the cake cool to room temperature. Then place cake in the fridge (uncovered) for several hours (ideally overnight).
Before serving, bring cake out of the refrigerator. If desired, you can dust top with powdered sugar. You can serve the cake cold or at room temperature.
Notes
- This cake is best made at least one day ahead of time because it needs to refrigerate for several hours or ideally overnight, so please keep this in mind if you are making it for an event.
- This cake is sweet but not super sweet. I was really inspired by Japanese cheesecake which is also not super sweet. If you prefer sweeter desserts, you can add a sweet topping to the cake or you can add an extra 1/4 cup of condensed milk to the batter. However, adding the extra condensed milk may cause the bottom of your cake to have a thicker layer.
- This cake should be baked in regular one-piece 7 inch round cake pan. You do not want to bake in a round cake pan with removeable bottom like a springform pan. See post tips for more details as to why.
- I use this Fat Daddio 7 inch round cake pan.*
- *This product link is an affiliate link. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
- Before lining the cake pan, you want to create some handles so that you can easily lift your cake out of the pan. See tips section and photo in post for reference. Then, line the bottom and sides of the cake pan with parchment paper as usual.
- I have only tested this with full fat plain greek yogurt and full fat sweetened condensed milk.
- I used US standard large eggs.
- Nutrition estimate does not include powdered sugar topping.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice, Calories: 129kcal, Carbohydrates: 15g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Sodium: 58mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 14g, NET CARBS: 13
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
Did you make this recipe?I'd love to see it! Mention @KirbieCravings and tag #kirbiecravings!
Posted in: 4 Ingredients or Less, Cakes, Recipes
75 Comments // Leave a Comment »
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Leave a Reply
75 comments on “3 Ingredient Fluffy Yogurt Cake (No Flour, Butter or Oil)”
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Emely Davila Pagan — April 3, 2024 @ 2:11 pm Reply
Can I use a silicone pan? Would it change the cook time. Thanks. Looks yummy
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Kirbie's Cravings Team — April 5, 2024 @ 10:11 am Reply
It should be okay, but without testing it we’re not sure if you’ll need to adjust the baking time.
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Carolyn Zappella — June 19, 2023 @ 5:17 am Reply
This is awesome!! Very light with a nice lemon flavor! Very surprised @ the light texture. Served with a dusting of powdered sugar and fresh strawberries. Will pass this on every chance I get
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Kirbie's Cravings Team — June 22, 2023 @ 10:04 am Reply
We’re so happy you loved it!
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Kerry — June 11, 2023 @ 4:28 pm Reply
Looks delicious & tywill try,
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Kirbie's Cravings Team — June 14, 2023 @ 12:23 pm Reply
We hope you enjoy it!
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Beverly — June 5, 2023 @ 10:00 am Reply
This is not a cake and shouldn’t be called so. It is an egg souffle. You made it sweet with the condensed milk. It would be a regular egg souffle with unsweetened milk. This does taste eggy like someone else stated. It’s a sweet egg souffle.
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Kirbie's Cravings Team — June 9, 2023 @ 10:17 am Reply
Egg souffle doesn’t have yogurt in it and is completely different, but thanks for your comment!
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Terry Hiller — May 6, 2023 @ 7:18 am Reply
Worst cake I ever made. It raised well in oven but when shut the oven off and let it sit forever a hour it fell to about a inch I was very disappointed waisted my time
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Kirbie's Cravings Team — May 19, 2023 @ 11:06 am Reply
It does sound like something went wrong – the cake does sink, but it should sink that much. Are you sure you used the right ingredient amounts and baked it for the recommended time?
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Catherine Deans — March 17, 2023 @ 11:40 am Reply
My phone wouldn’t let me rate more than 3 stars. I would have given it 4. I’m baking my fourth version of this cake as I write this. I’ve been using full fat greek yogurt with vanilla which is a little sweet, so I cut the amount of sweetened condensed milk by 1/3 and added a quarter cup of marscapone that I had on hand (cream cheese would have worked too.) My husband LOVES it and it doesn’t mess up his diabetes regimen. Today, I’m using greek yogurt with vanilla and honey (the only full fat greek yogurt I could find at the store and it’s very sweet) so I cut the condensed milk to 1/4 cup and upped the marscapone to 1/2 cup. The batter tasted great! We’ll see how it turns out.
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Kirbie's Cravings Team — March 20, 2023 @ 12:45 pm Reply
We’re glad you’re enjoying the recipe!
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Lilia Calles — January 30, 2023 @ 2:48 pm Reply
Yummy, but must of them do not tell us the amount of each ingredient, so we can not do them.
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Kirbie's Cravings Team — February 1, 2023 @ 9:09 am Reply
All ingredient amounts are in the recipe card at the end of the post.
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Andrea — January 30, 2023 @ 12:20 am Reply
Thanks so much
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Kirbie's Cravings Team — January 30, 2023 @ 8:28 am Reply
You’re welcome!
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Shia — January 29, 2023 @ 2:20 am Reply
I thought I’d give this recipe a try and thank you for sharing but it definitely isn’t for me. Making the batter was easy but i had to bake my cake in a Dutch oven pan without a lid. I’ve also used less sugar because it seemed to be quite a lot but the cake was still way too sweet! Not pleasant at all. The cakes flavour is like a very sweet omelet with hints of meringue and condensed milk. The texture is great and my cake looks just like yours! Just not a delicious cake for me.
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Kirbie's Cravings Team — January 30, 2023 @ 8:35 am Reply
The cake shouldn’t be eggy tasting – did you chill it for the recommended time? We don’t consider this an overly sweet cake so it’s surprising you found it too sweet. Maybe you don’t like sweetened condensed milk?
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VICKEY — November 6, 2022 @ 4:29 am Reply
No amount for ingredients
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Kirbie's Cravings Team — November 7, 2022 @ 2:43 pm Reply
All of the amounts are in the recipe card – you scrolled past it to leave your comment.
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Jojo in Japan — October 18, 2022 @ 3:10 am Reply
Made this recipe the other night. It turned out to be very delicious! It wasn’t as fluffy as it could have been but that was because I live in Japan and I don’t think my yogurt was Greek yogurt. It tasted great though! I will be making it again. I might just serve with some fruit compote next time. Highly recommend this 3 ingredient cake!!
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Kirbie — October 21, 2022 @ 3:52 am Reply
thank you for sharing! Yes I suspect the yogurt might be the issue.
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Diane Ryding — October 17, 2022 @ 7:49 am Reply
Made it and found it very tasty. Like the ingredients because my daughter is gluten free.
Just wonder if you can freeze it?-
Kirbie — October 21, 2022 @ 3:52 am Reply
I have not tried freezing it. Please let me know if you try
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Blake — October 12, 2022 @ 3:58 pm Reply
I’m struggling with baking this correctly (I suspect I’m not getting the water bath method right). The result I get is a beautiful souffle like top to the cake and more a cheesecake style texture in the lower half. I’ll keep experimenting because it will be divine if I can perfect it!
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Kirbie — October 21, 2022 @ 3:56 am Reply
I’m guessing it’s the water bath. You don’t want the water level too high because it cooks the bottom of the cake more causing a dense bottom layer. The water level should be no more than 1/2 inch (measured after the cake with the batter is already put in because the added weight will raise the water level). You can even go a little less than 1/2 of an inch. Use cold water straight from tap. I recommend using a ruler to measure the water level because it’s a bit harder to eye it. Also try using a container that is only slightly bigger than the cake pan. I used a 9 x 9 inch pan.
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Laurie — October 9, 2022 @ 9:51 pm Reply
Great cake. EZ and delicious. No fuss!
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Kirbie — October 21, 2022 @ 3:56 am Reply
Glad you enjoyed!
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Rebecca — October 7, 2022 @ 2:47 pm Reply
Omg. Please tell people to read the instructions first! I can’t finish making dinner, and I guess we’re having cake for breakfast. Sigh. I baked it while making dinner figuring it would be cool for dessert. (I can’t be the only one who looks at ingredients and jist goes at a recipe right?! Lol)
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Kirbie's Cravings Team — October 21, 2022 @ 2:53 pm Reply
Yes, it’s always good to read through the recipe first. We mention that the cake needs to chill both in the post and in the recipe card – we definitely wanted to make that part clear!
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Fancy Kumchulesi — October 6, 2022 @ 8:37 pm Reply
Nice and easy
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Frances — October 5, 2022 @ 11:34 am Reply
Hi can you make this in an 8 inch round pan
That’s what I have or 9 in, or 6 in
Can you double the recipe
Thank You-
Kirbie's Cravings Team — October 21, 2022 @ 2:55 pm Reply
You could use a 6″ pan and add a little bit more time to the baking time. We haven’t tried doubling this recipe and can’t say how that will work or how much extra baking time would be needed.
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Linda — October 3, 2022 @ 3:43 pm Reply
Says no eggs but usés 4 large eggs ???
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Kirbie — October 21, 2022 @ 3:57 am Reply
where does it say no eggs?
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MHànson — October 2, 2022 @ 7:03 pm Reply
Wondering about adding flavors, like lemon rind, chocolate chips.
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Kirbie's Cravings Team — October 21, 2022 @ 2:56 pm Reply
Lemon zest would work, but chocolate chips might sink in the cake.
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VICTORIA — October 2, 2022 @ 9:19 am Reply
Actually, I’m still new to your recipe but I tried one of your of your recipe it was fantastic, no sugar or butter and very healthy. You are incredible. I will like to tell my friends about your recipe.
Thanks-
Kirbie's Cravings Team — October 21, 2022 @ 2:58 pm Reply
Thanks so much for your nice comment! We have a Recipe Newsletter you might like to sign up for so you can get the recipe by email.
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Jennifer Ardoin — October 2, 2022 @ 7:43 am Reply
I have a lot of peanut butter and what is the easy receipts to make cookies or anything to use up some peanut butter and corn flakes
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Kirbie's Cravings Team — October 21, 2022 @ 2:59 pm Reply
We have quite a few easy recipes with peanut butter in our 4 Ingredients or Less section.
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Joanne — October 1, 2022 @ 4:06 pm Reply
I made this cake. The flavour is nice and even a bit too sweet for my taste. But it’s good. My only issue is it turned out a bit dense and wet inside. Maybe the yogurt wasn’t dry enough. I got plain Greek yogurt but it was 2% so I’m not sure that is full fat but that’s all I found. Any tips? Maybe skyr yogurt works?
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Kirbie — October 21, 2022 @ 3:59 am Reply
2% isn’t full fat. So that is likely why your cake was wet and dense. Skyr might work as it is very thick, but I haven’t tried it yet
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Nancy — October 1, 2022 @ 10:56 am Reply
Can I add flavored extract like vanilla or orange etc.?
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Kirbie's Cravings Team — October 21, 2022 @ 2:59 pm Reply
Extracts would work well!
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Elizabeth tripari — October 1, 2022 @ 4:25 am Reply
Can you make this with sour cream in place of yogurt
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Kirbie — October 21, 2022 @ 3:59 am Reply
Sorry not sure
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Michelle dddd — October 1, 2022 @ 2:52 am Reply
That’s looks yummy , I got the recipe will try soon.
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Kirbie's Cravings Team — October 21, 2022 @ 3:00 pm Reply
Let us know what you think!
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Cake — October 1, 2022 @ 12:51 am Reply
Good
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Connie joiner — September 30, 2022 @ 10:09 pm Reply
Just came across your recipe and it looks so good. I am looking forward to trying it out. My mouth is watering!
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Kirbie's Cravings Team — October 21, 2022 @ 3:01 pm Reply
We hope you love it!
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Tshilidzi — September 30, 2022 @ 10:58 am Reply
I rate it at 5, I practice it is easy to prepare and it does not take time I
I wish if many women tried it. -
Tamra — September 30, 2022 @ 9:05 am Reply
This sounds delicious,can’t wait to make!
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Kirbie's Cravings Team — October 21, 2022 @ 3:01 pm Reply
We hope you try it soon!
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Maurice Ageng'o Bodo — September 30, 2022 @ 7:52 am Reply
Easy and detailed preparation process.
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Kirbie's Cravings Team — October 21, 2022 @ 3:02 pm Reply
Thanks so much!
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Patrick — September 30, 2022 @ 6:58 am Reply
Do you have a sugar-free version ? And no aspartame or sucralose, either. Stevia would be ok.
Alternatively – with honey
This would mean finding condensed milk without sugar. I do not know whether there is such a thing…-
Kirbie — October 21, 2022 @ 3:51 am Reply
Sorry I haven’t tried a sugar free version. But you can try it with melted sugar free white chocolate in place of the condensed milk.
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Joan Karsandas — September 29, 2022 @ 10:04 pm Reply
Did not try any recipe as yet
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Kirbie's Cravings Team — October 21, 2022 @ 3:02 pm Reply
We hope you try it soon!
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Linda — October 21, 2022 @ 5:27 pm
This is an easy and delicious recipe, as long as you follow the directions to the letter. I added almond extract to mine and it came out incredible. I’ve already made it twice. Thank you for this great recipe.
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Kirbie's Cravings Team — October 24, 2022 @ 2:53 pm
We’re so glad you liked it with almond extract – thanks for sharing that!
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Joan Veronica Karsandas — September 29, 2022 @ 10:02 pm Reply
Looks delicious. Want more easy recipes
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Kirbie's Cravings Team — October 21, 2022 @ 3:02 pm Reply
You can get the recipes emailed by signing up for our Recipe Newsletter!
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Barb Bridges — September 29, 2022 @ 8:07 pm Reply
I have a question should the water in the pan be heated before baking?
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Kirbie's Cravings Team — October 21, 2022 @ 3:03 pm Reply
No, you should use cold water.
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Joyce Halpaus — September 29, 2022 @ 5:35 pm Reply
This looks really good. I want to try it. I am gluten free
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Kirbie's Cravings Team — October 21, 2022 @ 3:03 pm Reply
We hope you enjoy it!
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Lissie — September 29, 2022 @ 3:41 pm Reply
Gluten allergy. Recipies like this without flour or white vinegar are a joy.
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Kirbie's Cravings Team — October 21, 2022 @ 3:04 pm Reply
We’re happy you love it!
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Melanie Bledsoe — September 29, 2022 @ 12:21 pm Reply
Can you use flavored yogurt or vanilla greek?
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Kirbie — October 21, 2022 @ 3:52 am Reply
I haven’t tried with flavored greek yogurt. It may cause some issues because there is added sugar in flavored greek yogurt
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Gg — September 29, 2022 @ 10:52 am Reply
Looks great!
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Kirbie's Cravings Team — October 21, 2022 @ 3:04 pm Reply
Thank you!
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